


you have become a horror (i will be glorified in your midst)

by SoloChaos



Category: Bandom, Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Ambiguity, Amnesia, Brain Damage, M/M, Manipulation, Past Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-29
Updated: 2015-04-29
Packaged: 2018-03-26 06:55:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3841339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SoloChaos/pseuds/SoloChaos
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>"Because you are haughty of heart, you say, 'A god am I! I occupy a godly throne in the heart of the sea!'"</i><br/>–Ezekiel 28:2</p>
            </blockquote>





	you have become a horror (i will be glorified in your midst)

**Author's Note:**

> This is purposefully ambiguous. I'd really like to know what you think is happening in this!

 

 

Josh is awakened by Tyler gently shaking him awake.

 

"It’s okay. We can go now," Tyler whispers, and Josh lets himself be ushered from the truck and into the new motel room.

 

"It’s almost daytime," Tyler says as Josh settles onto the bed. "Don’t make too much noise, okay?"

 

"Okay," Josh says, starting to feel the sleepiness start to fade away. He crawls up to Tyler, kneeling on the bed so they’re the same height. He takes Tyler’s head and kisses sloppily him on the lips.

 

"Mm. Not now, Josh," Tyler says, but Josh latches onto Tyler’s shoulders and clings, craving his touch.

 

"Yes, come on, come on, comeoncomeoncomeoncome–" 

 

Tyler slaps him across the face, and Josh quiets.

 

"Don’t fuckin’ start that," Tyler growls. "It’s too goddamn early for that, and you always moan like a fuckin' bitch. Somebody'll hear us. Do you want to get fuckin' caught?"

 

Josh doesn’t always understand what Tyler is saying, but he understands the tone behind it. "Sorry," he mumbles.

 

"Don’t push me, you shit," Tyler mumbles as he shoves Josh back onto the bed. "I’m not in the fuckin' mood."

 

Josh can feel his lower lip trembling, but he forces himself to remain calm. He pushes himself up to face Tyler again and reaches into his pocket. 

 

"I made you this," Josh says, holding out the necklace he made. It’s one of the mussel shells he found on the shore when they were east a couple of days ago.

 

He anxiously awaits Tyler's opinion, hoping that this was the right thing to do. 

 

A series of emotions flicker across Tyler’s face before settling on gentle. "Thank you, Josh," he says softly. "It’s very pretty." He pulls the circle of twine over his head, letting the shell hang on the middle of his chest.

 

Josh beams.

 

"I’m going to shower, okay?" Tyler says, cupping Josh’s cheek and kissing his forehead. "Don’t go anywhere."

 

"Okay," Josh says, going over to sit on the couch before the TV. Josh can’t watch it, though, because Tyler always cuts the wires. TVs are evil, Tyler explained. They will tell you things that aren’t real, and I don’t want them to scare you.

 

Tyler gave Josh a notebook to draw in, though, and Josh is doodling aimlessly as he listens to the water running. He picks up the red crayon and draws at the top of the stick figure’s head when suddenly a series of images flash through Josh’s mind, all too rapid for Josh to process any of them. He studies the red-headed stick figure for a moment when an image pops into his mind. It’s fleeting thought, but he manages to hold onto pale skin and red hair.

 

Josh frowns. He’s pretty sure that’s a girl, but he’s never interacted with any girls except for one. And she was a woman, not girl, with dark hair. She tried to get Josh to come with her, a small metal rectangle in her hand, but Tyler grabbed her and hit her until she stopped saying anything. Then he hit the rectangle until it was in a bunch of pieces, and then they had to run run run even though it was daytime.

 

He shakes his head. That was confusing, and Tyler had told him not to worry about it.

 

But where did the girl with red hair come from?

 

Josh has always been with Tyler. Always. And Tyler would never let someone dangerous near Josh if he can help it. All people who come close to Josh get hit by Tyler, and he can’t remember the girl with red hair getting hit. He can’t remember the girl with the red hair, save the one image stuck in his mind.

 

He shrugs it off. It doesn’t matter. 

 

The past  _doesn’t matter._

 

That’s what Tyler always says.  _The past doesn’t matter._

 

A sudden movement outside the window startles Josh. He moves to go hide in the closet, the way Tyler told him to do if someone's outside the window, but then he realizes.

 

It’s  _snow._

 

"Tyler! Tyler, look! Look!" Josh screeches, and Tyler comes barreling out of the bathroom, snatching a serving fork off the table and gripping it as one would hold a spear or trident. His dark blue robe billows out behind him as he runs to the door. 

 

"What's wrong?" Tyler demands, and Josh giggles a little when he sees the shaving cream foam on Tyler's face. It looks like a beard. "JOSH! FUCKING FOCUS!"

 

"Sorry," Josh says. "But look! It's snowing!"

 

"Yes," Tyler says, sounding unimpressed. 

 

"Come on!" Josh says, stepping forward with his arms stretched out in front of him, beckoning Tyler towards him. 

 

"Josh–"

 

Josh grabs Tyler's arms and pulls him out of the motel room, and Tyler winces when he steps barefoot onto the snow.

 

"It's okay. Your feet go numb after a couple of minutes," Josh reassures him. Tyler's expression doesn't clear any. 

 

"I'm going to finish up, Josh," Tyler says, but Josh tightens his grip on Tyler's arms.

 

"No! Let's play!" Josh insists. 

 

"Is this all you wanted, Josh?" Tyler grumbles. 

 

Josh deflates a bit at Tyler's unenthusiastic tone. "Yeah, uh. I guess."

 

Tyler lets out a sigh. "I’m going inside."

 

"Nonononono," Josh says, trying to keep Tyler from leaving. Tyler twists his wrists out from Josh’s grip easily and stalks inside. Head hung, Josh follows him.

 

Josh turns to Tyler once he’s done locking the motel door, expecting to see Tyler’s disappointed face, but Tyler just looks vaguely amused. 

 

"We can go out later, Josh. It’s too early right now. Do you want to get caught?" Tyler asks. Josh shakes his head. "I didn’t fuckin' think so."

 

Tyler's still wrapped in his blue robe and clutching the fork, tensed to stab if necessary. His shaving cream beard remains, his hair powdered white from the snow, and he has the seashell necklace slung around his neck. Josh flicks a bit of the beard away.

 

"You look like a sea god," he says with a giggle. 

 

"I am a goddamn sea god. Now get on your knees and start fuckin' prayin'."

 

Josh gets on his knees, but it's Tyler who ends up doing the praying.


End file.
